Emine Saner

"Can't tell you how many times I've watched SVU marathons. This is my dream job," tweeted Mike Tyson, after the news came that he was to guest star in an episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. Yes, a man who was convicted of rape and still airs misogynistic views has been cast in a show often praised for the way it deals with sexual violence. Which makes you wonder: has he watched the show?

Set in New York, the police procedural show focuses on victims of rape and sexual assault and while it has been accused of offering up rape as "entertainment" (another week, another female rape victim) it is widely considered to deal with sexual violence in a sensitive and serious way. So why has it cast Mike Tyson as Reggie Rhodes: "a murderer on death row who is also the victim of a difficult childhood"? The casting, set to air next month, has left many people outraged.

Indeed, Marcie Kaveney, a rape crisis advocate, has set up a petition on the campaign site Change.org calling for the directors to change their mind which has already garnered more than 6000 signatories. "I am extremely disappointed, as I love this show and have watched it for years," she says. "I have even suggested rape crisis advocates watch the show for tips. As an advocate and a survivor, my heart aches at the thought that this man gets a free pass because he is famous! I can't even begin to imagine what this news would mean to his victim."

Among the signatories are women who have suffered sexual assault, such as one who posted: "I'm a survivor, and I think this is a disgusting show of disrespect to allow a perpetrator to profit off a show portraying sexual violence." Another posted: "I was a victim and I would not want to turn on the TV and see my rapist on a show that is supposedly about protecting victims' rights."

'Disgusting' ... Law and Order: SVU has been credited with shinging a light on sex crimes.

In 2004, Mariska Hargitay, who stars as Detective Olivia Benson in the show, set up the Joyful Heart Foundation to provide support to victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence after receiving a huge response from fans, who saw their experiences reflected in the series.

Hargitay has been silent on the casting of Tyson, but Maile Zambuto, the foundation's chief executive, used its website to respond: "We were not aware of this casting choice and we have formally expressed our concerns to the executives and producers at SVU. For more than a decade, SVU has been instrumental in shining a much-needed light on the issues of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse." The foundation has "no role in final production decisions", she added.

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Tyson's rehabilitation since his conviction in 1992 has been rocky. Sometimes it attempts to trip down the "ha ha, rape!" route by advertising an energy drink which uses the slogan "sex energy" while surrounded by women in bikinis? At other times, he has recast himself as a misunderstood, sensitive soul who is doing his best to overcome this great tragedy that wasn't really of his own doing. Yet he is a man who still likes to joke, as he did on a soft Oprah interview in 2009, about "socking" his first wife Robin Givens. Just last year, Tyson treated his fans to his one-man show, reiterating his views that women are whores, bitches and tramps.

Warren Leight, the showrunner for Law and Order, acknowledged that some fans may find the casting "inappropriate". He wrote in a series of seven tweets: "While in no way excusing his past actions, it's worth noting [Tyson] was convicted over 20 years ago, and served his time. Our intent, as always, is to provoke discussion and awareness."

But awareness of what, exactly? That TV executives sometimes get it wrong? That it doesn't really matter that Tyson has never expressed remorse and, despite his conviction, still portrays the woman he attacked as a liar? Or that rape is so trivial that as long as you serve your time (though he only served three years of a six-year prison term, which was itself lenient) you can reinvent yourself as a comedic/tragic figure as if it never happened?